BCC set to host annual FAFSA advisory workshop

Thursday

Jan 23, 2014 at 11:26 PMJan 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM

College financial aid counselors will dole out advice at BCC on Sunday, Jan. 26.

Michael Gagne Herald News Staff Reporter @HNMikeGagne

FALL RIVER — Applying for college financial aid for the first time can be an intimidating process for students and families. Financial aid counselors across Massachusetts understand this, which is why about 30 sites will be hosting the annual College Goal Sunday event this weekend.

In southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol Community College will be the local site for the event slated for this Sunday. It will run from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Commonwealth College Center (G Building) on BCC's Fall River campus. The event is volunteer-driven.

Families will meet with more than a dozen financial aid experts and administrators, who will be able to answer questions and provide guidance on the financial aid process.

"Often, they have never done this before," Sarah Morrell, BCC's dean of access and transition, said of students and families who will be filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, for the first time.

"There's apprehension about revealing all the personal information, and feeling comfortable sharing a tax form with a financial aid advisor," Morrell said.

If families bring the required forms and register for the event, applying for financial aid can be as quick as a half hour, and normally takes no more than one hour, Morrell said.

"It used to be a long form. Now it's gotten brief and more concise. It all depends on how prepared you are," Morrell said.

BCC has hosted the event for nine years, serving more than 100 students and family members each year, Morrell said. To promote the event, the college uses more than a dozen outreach programs at a "wide network" of secondary schools.

"We promote to our current students as well," Morrell said. "Each year we've grown ... We won't turn anyone away."

"Walk-in" applicants will be accepted, but Morrell recommended that those planning to attend register online at the Massachusetts FAFSA Day website, www.fafsaday.org. In addition to online registration, financial aid applicants will also be able to view a list of steps to take and what to bring when they meet with a financial aid advisor. According to fafsaday.org, applicants should first apply for a FAFSA Pin online, by visiting www.pin.ed.gov.

They should also have their Social Security number as well as a driver's license number or Alien Registration Card if they're not a U.S. citizen, and income and tax records, including their most recent federal tax returns, W-2 forms or year-end pay stubs, bank statements, business and investment records and untaxed income records.

Students born before Jan. 1, 1991, do not need to bring parental information.

Although the deadline to apply for state financial aid is not until May, Morrell recommended that those seeking aid apply no later than the end of February. Institutions that offer their own financial aid may have early deadlines and additional financial aid forms.

In addition to one-on-one advisors, the event will feature a presenter for a local university to provide an overview of the entire financial aid process, Morrell said.

"They can either go after that and meet with our one-on-one advisor, or take that information and be better informed," she said.